ok the key is to test the html email newsletter on all email environments such as hotmail, yahoo, gmail, outlook, aol, lotus thunderbrid, mac mail, eudora, entourage you name it to make sure that the design is consistent across all types of emails …I found that using tables is based design works better then CSS …. however I thought CSS should be flexible in various environments.

it’s been a month and I have been trying out to code and send off an html newsletter via lotus notes….and actually I did but most of my subscribers received the newsletter completely distorted :-( except for some they received it the way I designed it. Now obviously its such an ordeal to send off an html newsletter via lotus notes… just have to keep on trying I guess til I get it right…

Wikipedia is now facing new competitions online especially now with the recent introduction of scholarpedia.org and citizendium.org. Both are offering a Wikipedia-like product, with adult supervision. The question is do we need another fashionable notion of “crowdsourcing” or “wisdom of crowds”? Especially with the late reviews on Wikipedia that some of its facts are not really actual. Just an example last month Middlebury college History Department banned its students from citing Wikipedia in their research papers and exams after citing hisorical errors from Wikipedia. Bottomline is facts have to be checked no matter what source it came from…and one should not only depend on wisdom of crowds.

Last week I was assigned to take over the responsibility of the chamber’s website. Mainly the new website is programmed in Germany, so mainly I wont have to worry much about the programming part. However, what I have to think and plan for is how to transfer the information on this new site. So first I need to learn about what is this new site is all about. The first thing I learnt is that the website’s CMS is based on TYPO3 using PHP or SQL code, which is customised according to the website’s needs.

Currently I dont have an administrator yet, so for the time being I am just reading about TYPO3 to get a general knowledge about how the administration works
Three things I want to learn first:
1-How does the editor interface support other languages.
2-How the Admin creates custom user types, roles or groups that specify permissions for what data a user can see, what they can edit, as well as what features they can access.
3-Also I want to know in it customizable Workflow, how content could be approved by the ‘editor’ for viewing by logged in ‘members’, but not for the public until approved by the ‘marketing department’?

First day at work actually went really fine…everyone was welcoming me and they were happy with what they saw. And I feel comfortable with my colleagues. The first thing my boss asked me “So what is the most thing you learned in one year…tell me in one word”…it was a tricky question….so I decided to expand the question a bit and said “well on a personal level I learnt to toughen up a bit…on a professional level I learned alot from the university”…I said that unfortunately I wont be able to apply what I learned because I will need the proper softwares and not pirated ones because it will be used for company and not for personal use that is why it is important to purchase the software and our company should not jeopardize its reputation(software piracy in Egypt reached approximately 65 per cent), and ofcourse I will be needing the right computer, well believe it or not I suggested that the company has to purchase MAC, my Boss was convinced and told me to look around and he might also consider purchasing one for himself too ;-) ….so he told me to look around for Apple and compare prices :-) Didnt do much at the office today just cleaned my mail box and my desk….and next week will hold a staff meeting to present my editorial calendar for the year and also might have a meeting with all the freelancers to meet them.

Now that was my first day at work…tomorrow I wont be going to work as I have to finish some errands work applications and permits etc….so will be dealing with all type of bureaucracy administrative governmental offices….mmmm lots of fun eh

As for how I feel about the country…Deep inside me I feel really sad of what the country had turned into…the country has gone really backwards…no development at all…on my way to work this morning I just looking through the car window I can see living conditions of the people is deteriorating, there are more people in the country…and I one of my colleages told me a story of one of the messenger boy at her office that he earns 300 Egyptian pounds (£30) per month has 7 children. Each child costs him about 200 Egyptian pounds a year only for their education (this is excluding private lessons, which has become a trend in Egypt that all pupils have to take private lessons even if they dont want to…students are forced to take private lessons by their teachers otherwise they wont pass their classes). Not to mention costs for their food, housing, transportation and medical treatment, and I am talking here all the necessary things for living…I didnt mention presents, trips, etc….is this fair? What is the government doing about this…obviously nothing….so what is the solution, I wonder?

First day at work actually went really fine…everyone was welcoming me and they were happy with what they saw. And I feel comfortable with my colleagues. The first thing my boss asked me “So what is the most thing you learned in one year…tell me in one word”…it was a tricky question….so I decided to expand the question a bit and said “well on a personal level I learnt to toughen up a bit…on a professional level I learned alot from the university”…”but unfortunately I wont be able to apply what I learned because I will need the proper softwares and not pirated ones, and ofcourse the right computer, well believe it or not I suggested that the company has to purchase MAC, my Boss was convinced and told me to look around and he might also consider purchasing one for himself too ;-) ….so he told me to look around for Apple and compare prices :-) Didnt do much at the office today just cleaned my mail box and my desk….and next week will hold a staff meeting to present my editorial calendar for the year and also might have a meeting with all the freelancers to meet them.

Now that was my first day at work…tomorrow I wont be going to work as I have to finish some errands work applications and permits etc….so will be dealing with all type of bureaucracy administrative governmental offices….mmmm lots of fun eh

As for how I feel about the country…Deep inside me I feel really sad of what the country had turned into…the country has gone really backwards…no development at all…on my way to work this morning I just looking through the car window I can see living conditions of the people is deteriorating, there are more people in the country…and I one of my colleages told me a story of one of the messenger boy at her office that he earns 300 Egyptian pounds (£30) per month has 7 children. Each child costs him about 200 Egyptian pounds a year only for their education (this is excluding private lessons, which has become a trend in Egypt that all pupils have to take private lessons even if they dont want to…students are forced to take private lessons by their teachers otherwise they wont pass their classes). Not to mention costs for their food, housing, transportation and medical treatment, and I am talking here all the necessary things for living…I didnt mention presents, trips, etc….is this fair? What is the government doing about this…obviously nothing….so what is the solution?

Yesterday I got a phone call from a friend of mine in Cairo. He just arrived from a job interview in Abu Dahbi, he seems content with the the offer: position wise and ofcourse money wise. Now what is interesting is his little adventure in Cairo airport…he told me ofcourse the airport is still in its chaotic state as renovation work is still being undergone…God knows when these renovations will end..anyways he almost lost his luggage…as someone took his luggage off the rail, luckily my friend saw the person and ran after him and almost got into a huge fight…..so he warned me to keep a close eye of my luggage…well I told him not to worry because my luggage is way to heavy for anyone to just to pick it up and walk away with it hehehhee. Anyway this is just one example of what I should expect once I step in the land of adventures…

In exactly how I feel these days…I guess am still in denial of going back home…actually I don’t know exactly what I feel. Someday I feel excited and happy to go back home, other times I am scared and anxious. I don’t know I guess this is all part of my experience this year -besides the learning, education and meeting all those wonderful people out here- it is getting gushed with mixed emotions, in hope of finding my true self. So what I will do is sit back and enjoy every moment of it. Maybe enjoy is not really the right word here but eh….

Here is an interesting news for all of you out there who have been dreaming of publishing a book one day but have been postponing it indefinitely. Well, time to roll your sleeves and get busy. You dont have to worry about the cost to publish or distribute your book becausehttp://www.lulu.com/uk has the right solution for you. This site provides you with the tools to publish/distribute your own book online. And guess what its all for FREE.

Oh another thing that caught my attention about this site is that it carries my nick name. Cute eh ;-) I wonder why did they ever name the site Lulu, though?